Next to Die
by Dusk Is F.a.l.l.i.n.g
Summary: There's a serial killer on the loose in Seattle. Nobody at Seattle Grace really thinks of the murders they are, after all, a hospital they take care of the living, not the dead. But what happens when one of their own is in the crosshairs?
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: So, I think it's safe to say that I, being a lowly fourteen year old, do NOT own Grey's, no matter how much I wish I did. They belong to Shonda and the good people at ABC. So don't sue - you wouldn't get anything anyway - I'm only a freshman in basically a ghetto school! GAWD. HANYWAYS. On with the story...**

**Summary: There's a serial killer on the loose in Seattle. Nobody at Seattle Grace really thinks of the murders - they are, after all, a hospital - they take care of the living, not the dead. But what happens when one of their own is in the crosshairs? Is someone at Seattle Grace about to die?**

**Pairings are: Bang, MerDer, O'Callie, and eventually Addisex, McStizzie. Don't like it? Don't read it. P So decrees ze arteest formerly known as Ally.**

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"Have you heard?" Seattle Grace Hospital, as usual, was buzzing with gossip. Nurses whispered in each others' ears, and everywhere the eye could see, people were exchanging worried looks. Where were the hospital's surgical interns during all of this? Meredith and Izzie were locked in a game of Slap-Jack with a deck of cards Izzie had dug out of her purse, as George and Alex looked on, providing a running commentary - of the relative attractiveness of the two female interns. "And Meredith puts down a...queen! Over the past week, this girl has won five out of five games against her fellow intern - who looks extremely attractive when she's concentrating, by the way..."

"ALEX!" The two women yelled in unison, both looking up from the bench that served as their playing surface. "And Izzie's next card is...a jack! And for once, Izzie is the one to slap it first and grab the cards, getting closer to her first-ever win against Meredith," George took over smoothly.

"Shut up, George."

"All of you shut up! I'm trying to sleep until the Nazi comes to harass us - I never get much sleep anymore, thanks to Burke..." The muffled yell came from Cristina, who was slumped against the wall, face resting in her hands. "EW. God, Cristina - we don't want to hear about your sex life!" George exclaimed, disgusted. "You're just jealous because you know Burke and I have better sex than you and Callie..." Cristina shot back.

"...How the HELL would I know that? **I **don't sleep with Burke! Or you. And I would assume that you're not sleeping with Callie!" George retorted. "Though that would be hot," Alex interjected, smirking.

"Shut up, Alex."

"Well, it would be..."

"_Shut up, Alex._" Cristina raised her head from her hands, giving Alex a look that brought to mind the age-old cliche _if looks could kill._ He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted when the door opened. "Crap, the Nazi's here," Izzie muttered. But rather than Bailey, it was Olivia the nurse who walked in.

"Oh my god. Have you guys heard?" The interns exchanged irritated glances - it was too early in the morning for gossip. "Heard what?" Meredith spoke, hoping Olivia would talk, then shut up and leave. "About the fact that there's a friggin' **killer **on the loose? In Seattle! Three victims this week - don't you guys watch the news?"

Cristina, looking decidedly not fazed, replied with a yawn. "Olivia, we're surgical interns - we practically live at this hospital, and when we go home, we eat, sleep, and have sex. Why the hell would we watch the news? It wastes valuable time that could be used for eating, sleeping and having sex."

"How can you not be worried about the fact that people are **dying? **In our city! Three women. Three young, pretty women. Aren't you scared you'll be next?" Olivia challenged. "Mmm...nope," Cristina replied after pretending to deliberate. "Nah," a supremely unconcerned Alex echoed, as the other three spoke similar sentiments. "Whatever. Just don't complain when it's **you **down in the morgue because you didn't take this seriously..."

At that, Izzie started giggling, and the nurse, who had turned to leave, whirled around sharply. "What's so funny, Stevens?" "Nothing. It's just that...well, if it was me down in the morgue, of course I wouldn't be complaining. I'd be dead," the cheerful blonde said with an easy grin, while her fellow interns bit back grins of their own. As soon as Olivia left the room, all five of them doubled over laughing.

"Iz, that was priceless," George announced. "Seriously. Did you see the look on her face?" Cristina chimed in, before bursting into hysterical laughter again. "All I said was that I'd be dead...Anyways, why would someone want to kill any of us?" "Yeah, aside from Cristina, we're all so damned likeable and cute. And Olivia said 'pretty', so that further rules Cristina out," Alex opined with a smirk, earning a sharp smack across the back of the head from Cristina.

The door opened again, and this time, it was Bailey who came in. "Morning, suck-ups. Yang, you're with Burke, he's got an amazing surgery today, and he wants you in on it. Why, I don't know. Grey, you're working with Shepherd - and if I catch you two in the on-call room, so help me Jesus, I will-". "You don't have to worry, Dr.Bailey," a blushing Meredith assured the resident. "O'Malley? You're with your wife today, but if I catch her favoring you because you're her husband, I'll make sure you're in the pit for a month. Got it? Good. Stevens - Dr. Sloan specifically requested you as his intern today." "Goddammit," Izzie muttered under her breath, good mood fading. "Which leaves you with Dr. Montgomery, Karev. And I don't want to hear any complaining about it, or you'll be in the pit with O'Malley after I assign him there if his wife favors him."

As soon as Bailey turned her back, everyone expected Alex to complain, or at the very least, make a smart-ass crack, but for once, he kept his mouth shut. In fact, he didn't even look upset at the prospect of working all day with Addison, but actually looked as if he was trying to restrain a smile. This fact didn't escape Izzie, who leaned over and poked him in the side. "Evil Spawn and Satan, sittin' in a tree..."

"Shut up, Iz!" A blush was creeping up Alex's cheeks as he glared at his fellow intern. "Seriously. I don't want to know what they're doing in that tree," George chimed in.

"George!" Meredith looked absolutely appalled, but beside her, Cristina had dropped her face back to her hands, and was quivering with silent laughter. "See, someone thinks I'm funny," George pointed out with a shrug, as Meredith rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"Would you guys please shut up? I don't like her...I mean, yeah, I think she's hot - but come on! She's Satan!" "And you're Evil Spawn. Match made in heaven," Izzie remarked dryly. "Hey - I get to scrub in on surgeries. What are you gonna be doing? Fetching coffee. Who got the better deal here? Yeah. I thought so," Alex fired back, smirking.

"Now, if you idiots will excuse me - I have to go. Before I get killed by either Satan or the Nazi. Or worse - get switched to Sloan." And with that, Alex stalked out, leaving Izzie giggling. "He so likes her, you guys," the blonde said conversationally, hauling herself to her feet. "Psh. This is Alex we're talking about, Izzie. Alex has never liked someone in his life - except you, of course. He may think Dr. Montgomery is hot - but **like? **Come on," George reasoned, standing as well, and grabbing Meredith to haul her off the floor as well. Izzie shrugged. "True. Very true. I don't know, we'll see what happens. Can you imagine Bailey's face if **they **started dating too?" she asked with a laugh.

"She'd blow her top! You'd be the only one **not **dating an attending, as I doubt you and McSteamy will be jumping in the sack anytime soon," Meredith said, biting back a grin before changing the subject. "Cristina, come on, get up," she said, looking down at her friend, who was still lounging against the wall.

"Don't wanna," Cristina said irritably. "You've gotta be kidding me. You're working with Burke, you get to scrub in on an amazing surgery, and you don't want to get up and leave the locker room? Seriously?!" an incredulous Izzie burst out. "I'm fetching goddamned cappuchinos and being sexually harassed all day! So shut up and go find Burke, kneel at his feet, and treat him like the god that he is for letting you scrub in on surgery!"

Meredith and George weren't even bothering to conceal their laughter at this point, and not even a death glare from Cristina could make them stop their hysterical laughter. Finally, Cristina stood, and grabbed Meredith's arm. "C'mon - let's go find Burke and McDreamy. And on the way, we can have a talk about being a supportive best friend," she said, before basically dragging her best friend out the door.

"C'mon, Iz. Sloan will make your life miserable if you're late. Besides, it can't be too terrible," George said reassuringly, putting a friendly arm around Izzie's shoulders and leading her toward the door. "Easy for you to say - you get to work with your wife," the generally amiable blonde grumbled.

They walked in silence for a while, but when it came time to part ways, Izzie looked at her friend. "George?" "Mmm?" George responded, casting a long look at Callie before turning his attention back to Izzie. "Do you think we **should **be worrying about this killer guy?" The question took him aback, and he shrugged nonchalantly. "No. We work in a hospital, Iz - we have enough to worry about with the living to worry about the dead."

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**A/N: This is my first shot at Grey's fiction, so don't be too harsh. I know this chapter was mainly fluff, but it'll start getting dramatic soon. I'm definitely open to ideas, so don't hesitate to drop me a review with constructive criticism or some ideas! Thanks, guys.**

**xoxo **

**Ally**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Still don't own. Wanna buy it for me on eBay? xD Anyways, you guys rock my mcSocks off! Eight reviews for one chapter - SERIOUSLY?! That made my day. Anyways, I was having total writers block on this, so if it sucks, I'm sorry! Again, I do accept ideas, so drop me some! Seriously.**

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"Good morning, Dr. Stevens." Mark Sloan was a cocky bastard. _No, it is not a good morning, because I have to work with you, asshole. While you are extremely attractive, that does not give you the right to be such a jackass. Also, you have horrible taste in coffee - Cinnamon Dolce lattes are way better than cappuchinos._ Such were Izzie's thoughts as she arched an eyebrow at her superior. She was smart enough not to voice the full extent of her opinions, but she couldn't resist one biting comment.

"Hi. I don't like you."

"Well, that's a shame, because I have a rhinoplasty this afternoon that I was going to ask you to scrub in on. But since you don't like me, then I guess you don't want to work in an OR with me." Sloan smirked at the blonde intern, enraging her even more. _Bastard. _

"So, since you obviously aren't interested in the surgery, you can get me some coffee. Bone-dry cappuchino, you know the drill. Oh, and get yourself something too." Letting out a low hiss of irritation, Izzie took the money he gave her and headed toward the coffee cart, passing George and Callie on her way. The married couple were huddled over a chart, evidently discussing a patient. The scene looked innocent enough, but Izzie could see that her best friend had his arm wrapped around his wife's waist. She had no idea why it irked her so, but it did.

"God, Iz, don't look so thrilled to be here." Alex had materialized out of nowhere to stand beside Izzie, and she turned her glare to him. "Shut up, Alex." "Sorry. Are you on your way to get Sloan his coffee?" he asked, and she could see that it was costing him dearly not to smirk. "Yeah. What are you doing - shouldn't you be scrubbing in on something with your lady love?" she shot back, continuing her quest for coffee, and to her extreme annoyance, he followed.

"Shut up, Iz. And for your information, I'm scrubbing in on a hysterectomy in two hours. But first, I'm grabbing me and Add-er, Dr. Montgomery, some coffee." Izzie noticed his slipup, and arched an eyebrow, but instead of saying anything, she purchased Sloan's cappuchino as well as a latte for herself. "Well, have fun with your hysterectomy, then." Alex grinned. "Have fun being harassed by Sloan." Izzie grumbled something incomprehensible and the two went their separate ways.

Elsewhere in the hospital, Meredith was standing beside Derek, looking down at the still form of a young woman, looking only a little younger than Meredith. She was pretty, Meredith thought, with long strawberry blonde hair, and flawless skin with a dusting of freckles across her delicate nose. Her eyes were closed, and apart from the blood that stained the stark white pillow she lay on, she looked peaceful, as though she could be sleeping.

"Found behind a local WalMart, unconscious and bleeding from the head by a couple of tourists trying to find where they parked their car. According to the drivers license found in her purse, her name is Cara Sherman, age twenty-three. Gunshot wound to the head, it's shocking that she's even alive, but she's hanging in there," Derek was saying, studying the patient compassionately.

"Jesus Christ...twenty-three years old. That's not fair. She should be...I don't know, out with her friends, or cramming for some college test, not lying in a hospital bed, dying," Meredith burst out. "We may be able to save her. Chances are slim, but there's always hope. But if she's going to stand a chance in hell, she needs surgery. Prep an OR, and get ready to scrub in - it'll be a long surgery." Meredith needed no further urging, and dashed off.

As Meredith and Derek struggled to save the young woman's life, the other four interns were sitting in the cafeteria, talking as they munched on salads and swigged coffee. Cristina, Alex and George were all in high spirits, talking about the various surgeries they'd already scrubbed in on - a mitral valve replacement, laparoscopic myomectomy, and a knee menisectomy respectively, as Izzie listened, face practically green with envy.

"You guys are so lucky!" she burst out, stabbing her salad violently. "I fetched Sloan's coffee about four times until His Royal Lowness finally found it satisfactory, and did his paperwork for the rest of the morning. Seriously!" George winced in sympathy for his friend. "That's rough, Iz. But is it necessary to take out your rage on innocent lettuce?" This was met with a withering stare from the generally genial blonde. "I'm imagining Sloan's face," Izzie muttered darkly, before continuing to eat.

"Where's Meredith, anyway?" Alex wisely changed the subject. He'd been uncharacteristically quiet throughout Izzie's ranting, a thoughtful look on his face. "How have you not heard? I know you've been busy staring at Satan all morning, but it's all over the hospital!" Cristina said, staring at him incredulously. "Shut up, just tell me what's going on." "She and McDreamy got a major emergency patient - gunshot wound to the head - they've been in the OR for like four hours already."

"Crazy," Alex replied through a mouthful of food. "Lucky, though. For Mer, I mean. Not gunshot wound girl - that sucks. But seriously, cool surgery." "You sound like Cristina," Izzie observed, taking a gulp of her latte and wincing as the searing liquid burned her tongue. "Hey!" Cristina protested, glaring at the blonde. "Well, it's true. There's a murderer on the loose, he nearly claimed another victim - and she might still die - and all you guys care about is cool surgeries! Seriously."

"I said it sucked for her!" Alex defended himself, only getting another withering glare from Izzie. "You know? You wouldn't be saying it sucked if the victim was someone you knew. What if...what if it was Dr. Montgomery lying on that table with a bullet in her head? Would you care about cool surgeries then?" Alex was silent for a solid minute, obviously sobered by that question. "See? You care about her. You care about her more than surgery, don't you?" Izzie finished.

"She's my boss. Of course I'd care if she had a bullet in her head." He dodged the last question by jumping up. "Speaking of which, there goes my pager."

"I didn't hear your pager," George pointed out. "Thank you, Captain Obvious," Cristina said, rolling her eyes. This time, it was Alex's turn to glare. "Whatever. Later, guys."

As Alex sprinted off, George raised his eyebrows. "That was weird." "Duh. He was running away from the situation, because he didn't want to admit that he has the hots for Satan," Cristina said, laughing. "It wasn't that weird...Not weirder than having a serial killer on the loose in Seattle, at least," was Izzie's opinion.

"This is true. But seriously? Don't worry about it - how many thousands of people are there in Seattle? It's pretty unlikely that anyone working at this hospital is gonna get killed," Cristina reminded her.

"Yeah...Seattle Grace is safe, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. All of us are going to be safe."

Irony was a real bitch, as the staff of Seattle Grace would soon find.

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**Authors Note: Geh, I don't like this chapter much, I'm not sure what it is, but it irks me greatly. Criticize away, seriously - but keep it constructive. Flames will be used to make s'mores. You dig? Yippee. Anyways, thank you so much to everyone who's reading, and even more thanks to everyone who's reviewing, y'all rock.**

**Love Cook Chef-Thank you so much! I'm glad I shouldn't be worrying that this sucks (well, the first chapter, at least, since I don't know if you'll like this one.) And I totally agree that I hate when people change the characters' personalities - Meredith is whiny, needy, dark and twisty, and that's why we love her. Likewise with bitchy Cristina, asshole Mark, etc. etc. etc. I'm glad I'm doing a good job with their personalities. :D**

**Lexi-Cameron: This update is for you, sweetie! Hope you enjoy.**

**f4fan90: Thanks for your review! I'm worried about them with the killer too - and I'm the darned writer! I have no idea where I'm going with this, so looks like we'll be finding out together, huh? LOL! But seriously, you rock. **

**McStevens: You are so cool, because McStizzie rocks my socks, they're like my third favorite couple on the show. She's hot, he's hot, they'd have hot kids...So basically, they're awesome, and so are you. Thank you!**

**McLoving Grey's: Honey, I'm not even gonna lie, your review totally made my day. Nobody's ever called me brilliant before, and I think that's pretty freaking cool. And yeah, the SG ladies will have to be careful, gorgeous people that they are. (Le sigh...oh, to be as pretty as them...)So, here's an update, hope it's as good as the first one.**

**AscaDuin: I think it's gonna be interesting too, especially because I have no idea what I'm doing, and having a great time. Thanks for the review!**

**LLisa: Thanks so much, I'm glad you're enjoying the story! **

**ingridmill: I can't tell who the victim is yet, because I'm still not entirely sure - It's between like three of the characters. I can, however say, that Meredith is NOT who I have in mind as the victim. Then again, a lot of the time, stuff happens that I didn't have in mind, so we'll see how it goes. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Anywho, I'll update ASAP, but no promises, as I have cheer tryouts, dance, gymnastics, skating, and the mother of all suckishness - midterms (ick) this week. Wish me luck!**

**xoxo**

**Ally**


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: Still don't own. Cara's mine, though. Coolbeans, no? Oh, and I'm only a high-school freshman, and even though I plan to go into medicine, and I volunteer at a hospital, the medical jargon may not be all correct. So yell at me if I get it wrong, k? K. **

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"Scalpel, please." Meredith had no idea how Derek was staying so calm. She also had no idea why she cared so much about the young woman lying on the table in front of them. She had never met Cara Sherman in her life, but she felt an overwhelming sense of compassion for the pretty blonde, almost a maternal feeling, which was a silly description, considering she wasn't too much older. Handing the scalpel to her boyfriend - no, boss, as they were at work, she voiced the thought that had been nagging at her since she'd laid eyes on the victim.

"She didn't deserve this."

"Nobody does, do they? The guy who did this to her, and those other women that the news was talking to...He is one sick bastard."

"Why? Not why is he a sick bastard, that's obvious. But why would anyone do this to another human being? I mean...I just don't get how someone could get pleasure out of killing someone just to watch them die," Meredith reflected, as she watched Derek handle the scalpel with painstaking precision.

"It's like a drug - how they get their highs. Among other things," Derek shrugged, as his brow furrowed in concentration. "You been killing people?" Meredith couldn't resist teasing gently. "Nope. I watched the E! Mind of A Serial Killer with Addison one night, a long long time ago." The surgery continued in silence for a while, save for the breathing of the occupants of the room, and the steady beeping of the patient's heart monitor.

"I can see the bullet - doesn't look like there's any brain damage, but she isn't in the clear yet - there could be internal bleeding, and there's always the chance that she could bleed out while I'm removing the bullet," Derek explained, and set about doing so. It had hardly been two minutes before Cara flatlined.

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Outside another OR, Alex was standing with Addison, discussing the emergency C-section they'd just performed on a woman by the name of Meghan Johannsen - it had gone extremely well, with both mother and baby in good shape. "So, they'll both be fine, right?" Alex was asking as he peered over Addison's shoulder at the chart for Mrs. Johannsen, and admittedly standing closer than necessary. In doing so, he caught a whiff of her hair, and was nearly sent reeling by how good it smelled. He made a mental note to ask her what shampoo she used, then to tell her to never, ever stop using it. He hated to admit it, but his fellow interns were absolutely right about his feelings for his superior - of course, none of them knew that she'd kissed him at Joe's one night. And of course, none of them knew how much he had enjoyed it.

"Yeah, looks like they should be good. You did a good job today, Dr. Karev. You may hate obsetrics, but you could be damn good at it. Plastics seems like a waste of your potential, if you ask me." Taken aback, Alex said the first thing that came to mind. "Um, no offense, Dr. Montgomery, but I didn't ask you, actually. But uh..thanks." _Well, that was stupid, _he thought to himself, mentally kicking himself in the shin for sounding like an idiot. There had never been a woman who could make him tongue-tied - Izzie had come close, but not quite up to the capability of the red-head standing beside him.

"It's the truth. Anyways, can you go tell Mrs. Johannsen's family that the surgery went well? I need to check on-..." Addison didn't get to finish her sentence, as her cell phone rang, and she reached into the pocket of her lab coat, frowning as she saw an unfamiliar number on her caller ID screen.

"Hello?" she said uncertainly, her frown deepening.

"Dr. Addison Montgomery?" A deep male voice was on the other end of the line, and the obsetric surgeon decided that it was definitely nobody she knew - what a strange call.

"Yes, that's me. Who's calling?" She looked completely confused, and a glance to her left told her that Alex had completely disregarded her order to go talk to the patient's family, and was instead standing beside her with a confused, but still oddly attractive, look on his face.

"You don't want to know. Watch your step, Dr. Montgomery, or you won't be stepping ever again."

Fear flickered across Addison's beautiful face for a moment, before she rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Kid, you should be in school, not prank calling people - you could get sent to juvie for that, you know," she snapped, before flipping her phone closed with a little more force than necessary.

"What the hell was that?" Alex asked bluntly, looking at his superior with obvious concern in his brown eyes. "Nobody. Some idiot pulling pranks to scare me," Addison responded firmly, but Alex could see the worry in her hazel eyes. "Are you okay?" the intern asked. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." "Are you sure? Because it's okay to not be sure," Alex babbled lamely. "Karev. I'm fine. I'm not going to die - then who would make your life miserable?" And with that, she continued down the hallway, with her intern following dazedly in her wake.

The two barely made it five steps down the hall before being cut off by a hysterical woman, who looked to be around fifty years old. "Where is she? Is she here? Oh, please, tell me she's here, and she's okay." The two doctors exchanged a confused look, before Addison spoke.

"Ma'am, who are you looking for? Maybe we can help you if we know her name."

"My daughter, Cara. Cara Sherman. She's short, about five foot three, and so thin that I worry about her sometimes. She has reddish-blonde hair, and green eyes, and freckles. She said she was just going to WalMart to buy some cookie dough, and she never came back."

What the woman didn't know was that only a few rooms away, the sound of a flatline was penetrating the air of the OR where her daughter lay dead - the fourth victim claimed by the serial killer.

Irony was, indeed, a bitch.

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**Authors Note: Fast update, no? Yey me! Um, so yeah. Irony sucks. So does foreshadowing. Bahaha. I now know who the SGH victim is gonna be. And you might know now too. So, that's fun. It's about to get a little dramatic up in hizz-ere! Anyways, I know there was a conspicuous lack of other characters, and way too much Addex pimping, but that's just how I roll. And I'm the author. So this rolls the way I roll. So if you don't like how I roll, roll away. LMFAO. Now, I'm hungry for those fiendishly delicious croissant rolls. Mmmm, croissants. ANYWAYS. Four reviews in like 5 hours? Seriously! You guys are so cool. **

**Lexi-Cameron: Thank you so much! I actually have your Grey's story open in another window, haha, and I love your story too so far! **

**McStevens: I love the McStizzie too, they are teh sex. And yeah, midterms do suck. Majorly. Not as bad as finals, but still pretty sucky. **

**sideways anger: Here's an update! And hopefully, you know who the killer dude is after. I loved my first chapter too. Hee. (What, I never said I was modest!)**

**f4fan90: Irony is a TOTAL bitch. Even worse than snow. (We have a foot of snow right now. Damn you, Nebraska!) And I think our doctors are gonna have some crappy experiences too, but I'm not sure, because I'm making this up as I go, hehe. And hopefully, this chapter relieved some of the anxiety. But if not, then I'm sorry, and uh...here's a cookie! **

**And now, since I think it's a really cool idea, I'm gonna shamelessly pimp my next chapter. Go me!**

**Next on Next to Die (ha, that sounded funny): Someone has a stalker. But it's not who you expect. More scary, borderline cheesy phonecalls. And MerDer deal with the McVictim's McMother. Also, Izzie is PMSing and George pisses her off. Hilarity ensues. It'll be up...whenever I get off my lazy butt and write it! **

**As always, thanks for reading, and tune in next time, folks! That's all. (Wow, that was cheesy. But seriously, I love you people.)**

**xoxo**

**Ally**


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